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JasG

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 12, 2009
89
0
Hello, I've begun to notice a ring, roughly three inches in diameter, in the middle of my Air, Rev C, Screen. It is a white ring, a couple of millimeters thick, that I can see best behind an all white screen, i.e. a blank page of a word processing document.

Anyone seen anything like this before. I can actually see part of it right on the white of the page I am typing in this thread.
 
Is there by any chance light behind the screen, even reflected one?

Than it might be that damn Apple logo.

Or does it look different?

What if you turn down the brightness to zero (no backlight on)?
 
Is there by any chance light behind the screen, even reflected one?

Than it might be that damn Apple logo.

Or does it look different?

What if you turn down the brightness to zero (no backlight on)?

That is what I thought too. Sometimes people have the back of their MBA against a window with bright light or even a light fixture which will bleed through.
 
Is there by any chance light behind the screen, even reflected one?

Than it might be that damn Apple logo.

Or does it look different?

What if you turn down the brightness to zero (no backlight on)?

That's was a really intriguing hunch, but when I blocked the logo--covered it completely with my hand--the ring remained. But the best way to picture it picture a ring a few inches wider than that logo, circling it, but of course on the screen side.


It is too faint to see at zero, but from there on up I can make it out. Thanks for your help.
 
That is what I thought too. Sometimes people have the back of their MBA against a window with bright light or even a light fixture which will bleed through.


I wish that were it but it appears not, just a ceiling light, and now that I think of it, the first time I noticed it, a few weeks ago, I was in a really dimly lit coffee shop, away from the window. Thanks.
 
Hello, I've begun to notice a ring, roughly three inches in diameter, in the middle of my Air, Rev C, Screen. It is a white ring, a couple of millimeters thick, that I can see best behind an all white screen, i.e. a blank page of a word processing document.

Anyone seen anything like this before. I can actually see part of it right on the white of the page I am typing in this thread.

My Rev. B has been developing the same type of thing only thicker and shaped like an apostrophe. It is very visible with an all white background. I also thought it could be the Apple logo, but it is lower on the screen. The worst part is that it is slowly getting larger!
 
My Rev. B has been developing the same type of thing only thicker and shaped like an apostrophe. It is very visible with an all white background. I also thought it could be the Apple logo, but it is lower on the screen. The worst part is that it is slowly getting larger!


How very strange. When i get a chance, I'll take it into the Apple Store and see what they say. It must be some sort of screen defect, something in the finish of some layer of the screen that is causing a variation in the brightness
of the light. I'll let you know when I find out. My trouble is always that the Air is my only machine, and I hate to give it up for even a day.
 
Does it move at all? Is the OP seeing the dreaded lines in an odd pattern maybe? Confusing for certain.

I just cleaned all of the black graphite-like stuff that my MBA sheds all over the display from the top bezel rubbing against the trackpad button when the lid is closed. Apparently aluminum rubbing against aluminum creates a black powder type residue that smears across the display and looks like crap. Could this somehow be the cause? I know it doesn't sound right. I just figured it was worth mentioning...
 
I have the same problem too on my Macbook Pro 13" Mid 2009. I sent it to the service center yesterday and they just got back to me today to tell me it isn't covered in the warranty because this could not have happened with normal usage.

I have no idea what's wrong with it. It is exactly as you described it.

Very upset right now. :( I hope I can convince them to replace it.

Hello, I've begun to notice a ring, roughly three inches in diameter, in the middle of my Air, Rev C, Screen. It is a white ring, a couple of millimeters thick, that I can see best behind an all white screen, i.e. a blank page of a word processing document.

Anyone seen anything like this before. I can actually see part of it right on the white of the page I am typing in this thread.
 
Does it move at all? Is the OP seeing the dreaded lines in an odd pattern maybe? Confusing for certain.

I just cleaned all of the black graphite-like stuff that my MBA sheds all over the display from the top bezel rubbing against the trackpad button when the lid is closed. Apparently aluminum rubbing against aluminum creates a black powder type residue that smears across the display and looks like crap. Could this somehow be the cause? I know it doesn't sound right. I just figured it was worth mentioning...

Hi, I appreciate everyone's imput. I have never noticed the dreaded lines, though I have read all about them. Mine is a Rev. C if that makes any difference. This quite clearly a ring, and it does not move. I had the computer for several months, probably six, before I noticed it, but unless it is my imagination it is getting somewhat bright.
 
I have the same problem too on my Macbook Pro 13" Mid 2009. I sent it to the service center yesterday and they just got back to me today to tell me it isn't covered in the warranty because this could not have happened with normal usage.

I have no idea what's wrong with it. It is exactly as you described it.

Very upset right now. :( I hope I can convince them to replace it.


I have to believe we will be able to convince to replace it. I have done nothing out of the ordinary, normal use all day every day. No drops, no liquid spills, nothing. I'll let you know when I bring it in.
 
I have to believe we will be able to convince to replace it. I have done nothing out of the ordinary, normal use all day every day. No drops, no liquid spills, nothing. I'll let you know when I bring it in.

Maybe one of the LED backlights is out? That makes the most sense to me.

I am sure they will replace it without any problems or hassle.

Good luck.
 
I have to believe we will be able to convince to replace it. I have done nothing out of the ordinary, normal use all day every day. No drops, no liquid spills, nothing. I'll let you know when I bring it in.

Same here. Nothing out of ordinary. I'll let you know how it goes. I've got them to escalate it further up the chain to a senior engineer or something to try to get them to approve the replacement. 3rd day away from me and I'm having my withdrawal symptoms. My life is at a standstill because of this. *sigh*
 
Same here. Nothing out of ordinary. I'll let you know how it goes. I've got them to escalate it further up the chain to a senior engineer or something to try to get them to approve the replacement. 3rd day away from me and I'm having my withdrawal symptoms. My life is at a standstill because of this. *sigh*

Believe me, I understand. I noticed the ring in a coffee bar several weeks, maybe even months ago now, and I haven't taken it in for the simple reason that I don't want to part with a machine that works perfectly otherwise for several days.
 
Applecare and Geniuses on the White Right

Hello all, I finally had the chance to call Apple Care about the white. ring. The person listened with care, asked me to take a screen shot and see if it appeared on it, and when it didn't, asked me to take it into a an Apple Store or authorized repair center to have it looked at by a genius or technician.

I went to two different places, one store and one extremely reputable Apple dealer and service center.

They both said the same thing, almost instantly: the ring they said was caused by "pressure" (they kept repeating the word over and over again like a mantra), pressure on the top of the case of the computer. Although the computer has no obvious signs of misuse or abuse, they say I must have squeezed it too tightly into a briefcase or rested a heavy book on top of it or something like that. Whatever I did, it was something I did and it would not be covered by my warranty.

It seems remarkable to me, since I treat the thing like a three pound baby and except from the wear marks up by the camera caused by the bezel, the things is in immaculate condition.

But that's what they said: pressure, not covered by the warranty.
 
Hello all, I finally had the chance to call Apple Care about the white. ring. The person listened with care, asked me to take a screen shot and see if it appeared on it, and when it didn't, asked me to take it into a an Apple Store or authorized repair center to have it looked at by a genius or technician.

I went to two different places, one store and one extremely reputable Apple dealer and service center.

They both said the same thing, almost instantly: the ring they said was caused by "pressure" (they kept repeating the word over and over again like a mantra), pressure on the top of the case of the computer. Although the computer has no obvious signs of misuse or abuse, they say I must have squeezed it too tightly into a briefcase or rested a heavy book on top of it or something like that. Whatever I did, it was something I did and it would not be covered by my warranty.

It seems remarkable to me, since I treat the thing like a three pound baby and except from the wear marks up by the camera caused by the bezel, the things is in immaculate condition.

But that's what they said: pressure, not covered by the warranty.
Man, that stinks! If there is no evidence of the aluminum lid having been deformed at the place where the white spot appears, I can't imagine Apple taking such a position. If the lid isn't bent, or at least scarred, how could the display have been damaged? I would kick it up the line at AppleCare and see if you can get somebody more senior to give you some relief.
 
Man, that stinks! If there is no evidence of the aluminum lid having been deformed at the place where the white spot appears, I can't imagine Apple taking such a position. If the lid isn't bent, or at least scarred, how could the display have been damaged? I would kick it up the line at AppleCare and see if you can get somebody more senior to give you some relief.

I agree, and I really appreciate your comments because (though I am supposed to be the writer!) you've put into words what I, at both Apple service locations, was too dumbfounded to say. The lid is not bent nor scarred or deformed or even scratched in any way.

I will kick it up the line at Apple Care on Monday, sending a photo of the screen and a description of the case now that you have helped me find the words to express the absurdity of this kind of thing not being covered by a warranty. Really appreciate your post.
 
Anything become of this?

I have the same problem. If they aren't playing ball for a cosmetically fine laptop then I don't stand a chance because mine has a dent on the bottom. That isn't when the ring happened though!

It doesn't make sense that these should be so fragile to "pressure"
 
Anything become of this?

I have the same problem. If they aren't playing ball for a cosmetically fine laptop then I don't stand a chance because mine has a dent on the bottom. That isn't when the ring happened though!

It doesn't make sense that these should be so fragile to "pressure"


It took two weeks (in part because the very helpful senior consultant who took my case works only part time while he is in school) and a lot of careful explaining but in the end a very very helpful customer service representative and a senior consultant authorized a repair under Apple Care. It seems that the stores must see much more of this particular problem that the Apple Care people, which makes sense if you think about it: I called Apple Care, they asked me to take it into a store, I took it in, and in each instance I was told: pressure, not covered by Apple Care. If I had just left it at that, Apple Care people would never have seen or heard more about it. But for the reasons discussed above, I couldn't leave it there. Not with a nearly 2000 dollar machine nine months old without any visible damage and no (honest!) damage that I know of that didn't leave a mark.

I made clear, in a calm but steadfast way, that I wasn't trying to put one over on them. I could not believe I would be responsible for damage that seemed to come out of nowhere. And in the end I am not at all clear that the category of defect they call "pressure" in the stores is considered by Apple to be "damage" caused by misuse or "normal wear and tear" that is not covered by the warranty.

They kept asking me to email them photographs. But I am a writer not a photographer, and though you can't miss the white ring -- I am looking at half of it right now -- when you are looking at any light background my photographs of a bright screen were really hard to interpret if you hadn't seen the ring before.

At any rate, my advice to all: stay calm, but be persistent, and if you aren't satisfied with the consultants verdicts ask to speak to customer service. They are really there to keep customers satisfied, and my guess is that over the years they get good at separating the honest customers from the cranks and crooks. The honest customer probably get satisfaction--and I emphasized that I was an Apple Care true believer because of a decade of remarkable customer care.

For example: last summer, my son, about to begin his fourth year of college, was having trouble with the network card on his 2 year and 10 month old white Macbook. He went it in. They replaced the network card, the optical drive, the hard drive, and the bottom part of the case, which includes the keyboard. I have no idea why. No idea. Perhaps at the rate that kids and other people replace these things and the models change they have lots and lots of spare parts. So I am a big believer in Apple Care, and though this instance was a little more frustrating than any before, in the end it too helps explain why.
 
It is now 2017 and I just bought a Macbook Air four months ago and I am having the same problem, this is a design flaw which Apple is more concerned with keeping their nice back lit logo on their notebooks than care about customers screens which can have that kind of damage due to pressure from normal use, shame on you Apple, trading consistency of a marketing logo against product perfection is the wrong move!

I am in the middle of Iraq supporting the US Army in the push against ISIS and don't need a notebook which can have that kind of failure from a design flaw! What's next, I loose the middle of my screen? How many years have you known about this issue and have let it ride?
 
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